Toy bank



Feb. 24, 1948. M. R. ROBERTS 2,436,604

TOY BANK Filed Dec. 5, 1945 INVENTOR. Me/v/n 6? Robe/"f5 ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 24, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFHIE TOY BANK Melvin R. Roberts, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application December 3,1945, Serial No. 632,519

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a toy bank and especially of the kind in which coins may be deposited. through a slot.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide a bank of this character that is simple to manufacture.

It is another object of this invention to provide a bank that indicates how nearly the bank is full to capacity by utilizing the weight of the accumulated coins.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of one embodiment of the invention. For this purpose there is shown a form in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification. The form will now be described in detail, illustrating the general principles of the invention; but it is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of this invention is best defined by the appended claim.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a pictorial View of a toy bank in corporating the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partly in section, of the toy bank illustrated in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a view, taken along a plane indicated by line 33 of Fig. .2.

The toy bank may conveniently be formed of a hollow rectangular casing I arranged in vertical position. This casing I is shown as having relatively thin walls, and may conveniently be molded from a plastic. A base 2 is provided integrally with the casing, by the aid of which the casin may be supported on a flat surface.

The top of the casing is shown as closed by a removable cover 3. It may also be formed of a plastic. Cover 3 may be held detachably in place by the aid of several downwardly extending projections such as 4 and 5 engaging snugly against the interior surface of the casing I. A slot 6 is formed in the cover 3 through which coins may be dropped into the casing.

A receptacle 1 having a bottom wall 9, is guided for longitudinal movement within the casing I. This receptacle 1 may also be conveniently formed. of a plastic material. Since the casing I has a rectangular section, the receptacle l is made cor respondingly rectangular, whereby relative rotation is prevented. Receptacle I is adapted to receive coins 8 dropped through the slot 6, as its open upper end is directly below the slot.

A compression spring It is interposed between the base 2 and the wall 9 in order resiliently to support the receptacle 1. In order to maintain the spring It in proper position, a hollow boss I I is formed on the upper surface of the base 2; and a corresponding hollow boss I2 is formed below the wall 9 of receptacle 1. The spring Id encompasses these bosses.

The spring m is compressed in accordance with the weight of the accumulated coins 8 in the receptacle 1. Accordingly, the vertical position of the receptacle l may be taken as an indication of the weight of all of the accumulated coins 8, or an equivalent of these weights.

In order to indicate the quantity of coins B that has been accumulated, use is made of a window or a slot It in one of the vertical walls of casing 5. Through this window I3 is visible a part of the exterior wall of receptacle I. The receptacle 1 may carry appropriate legends I l, I5, and I5 which come successively into view as the weight within the receptacle increases. These legends, for example, may be Empty, A; Full, and Full, respectively.

Thus, as the coins are deposited, the quantity of coins accumulated may be indicated to an observer by the position of the legends Id, I5, and IS with respect to the window I3. The casing I may be made to simulate a gasoline dispensing pump. For this purpose the window I3 is framed by a ridge I I on the exterior wall of the casing I. In an area of the Wall in the frame I! but above window I3, may be placed appropriate legends I8 in simulation of the post ing of prices of gasoline on the pump.

Furthermore, a member I9, such as a cord, may be attached to the casing I to simulate a gasoline discharging hose. A toy nozzle 20 may be attached to the free end of the hose. The other end of the hose is shown as appropriately attached to a boss 2I formed integrally with the casing I.

The inventor claims:

In a. toy bank: a casing having a, vertical passage therein and having an on-circular cross section; a receptacle in the casing guided for longitudinal movement in the casing, said receptacle having a cross-section corresponding to that of the casing, and restricted by said casing against rotation of the receptacle in the casing; said casing having a slot in its upper wall through which coins may be deposited into th receptacle; and a compression spring between the bottom of the casing and the bottom of the receptacle, the extent of compression being a measure of the weight of the coins accumulated in the receptacle; said casing having a window, capable of indicating, in cooperation with indicia on that portion of the re-' REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Brigham Mar, 31. 1891 Reizenstein June 12, 1900 

